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Thali

Next: 19 Apr 2027

Mahavir Jayanti

Jains mark the birth of Mahavira with simple vegetarian food, charity and feeding others.

Vardhaman (Mahavira) sculpture at Keezhakuyilkudi, Madurai, Tamilnadu, India This is the crop of original image: Mahavira Keezhakuyilkudi
Photo: Francis Harry Roy S, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is eaten for Mahavir Jayanti

Mahavir Jayanti celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. Jains visit temples, join processions and give to charity, and feeding people and animals is part of the day. The food follows Jain rules with care: it is vegetarian, with no onion, garlic or root vegetables, and it is eaten before sunset. Community meals serve simple dishes of grain and lentils with a sweet such as kheer or laddu. Many people keep a fast.

The dishes

KheerMilk and rice pudding served at community meals.LadduGiven out as a sweet after temple visits.KhichdiPlain rice and lentils, in keeping with the day.PuriFried bread served at the shared meal.
About this page

Written by the Thali desk with AI assistance. Background: "Mahavira Janma Kalyanaka" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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